


June 20th

by Luci_A_Fucking_Satanic_Gay_Goose



Series: All shades of Green [18]
Category: Don't Hug Me I'm Scared (Webseries)
Genre: This is the finale but it isn't the end of their journey, i hope you enjoy, stay tuned for more
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:47:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29206824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luci_A_Fucking_Satanic_Gay_Goose/pseuds/Luci_A_Fucking_Satanic_Gay_Goose
Summary: The finale of a nightmare, the beginning of their new lives
Series: All shades of Green [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1732765
Comments: 7
Kudos: 3





	June 20th

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoy

“ _That sounds really boring...”_

  
_His boss’s discouraging words still echoed in his ears as he tried to concentrate on his work, Harry knew he should probably let it go but he couldn’t shake the feeling of sadness after that short shit show. He had been snoozing on the job which wasn’t a rare occurrence, he spent most of his nights just sort of staring at the ceiling rather than sleeping, he was always tired. He didn’t have much else to do though, he found it hard to sleep nowadays so he just avoided it, no one really suspected anything was up because the whole town seemed to be in a constant state of depression due to their monotone voices and blank expressions, he guessed he had depression but it wasn’t exactly an easy thing to bring up. It didn’t matter anyways, he could just swing by the pharmacy later to get some sleeping pills and boom, problem solved, he’d be fine. So, he had been sleeping, risky thing to do at work but luckily the boss didn’t mention it so he was safe for now, he was meant to finish off some reports but he must’ve dozed off while doing them because he woke up to see a bunch of i’s on his screen, took him forever to delete all those. He had been woken up though only to be told to file some files which was a task he could’ve easily accepted without any further conversation but he had to go and be a fucking idiot, he was in the delirious mind-set that occurs when you wake up after a nap and during that he pitched his idea for a TV show by making the files dance and sing, he looked like a right old tit in front of his co-workers. Of course, his performance screeched to a halt with those few simple words that seemed to stick with Harry as he tried filing those files and when he finally crashed back down to earth, it dawned on him that he was miles away from his dreams and would probably never get closer._

  
_That small bit of energy that had kept him going everyday was slowly fading and Harry didn’t know how much longer he was going to last, he needed that motivation and if it was dying, so was he. It seemed as if people didn’t like his ideas and if that was all they thought then what was the point in trying, none of them would even tune in. He didn’t even have the money to make the show, he needed a set and props, he needed to pay actors to voice and play the characters he envisioned, working an office job for minimum wage wasn’t exactly the kick-starter that was going to help. So why continue trying?_

  
_Well, there was Lewis, that was a reason to continue trying, a show in the memory of his nephew was what Harry dreamed of the most. He missed the lad a lot, he was the shining part of his life along with his sister, Violet, they both made him look up and stride forwards to the next day. When they... passed though, Harry had nothing to look forward to, his weekend visits to see them were always the highlights of his life and now that he couldn’t see them anymore, he didn’t see the point in living anymore. His friends had all called to ask him how he was doing and he managed to muster up enough enthusiasm to tell them everything was fine and he was moving along nicely even though the tragic accident impacted him heavily, they would check on him through calls but they never bothered to visit, only his brother did and boy, those were the most unpleasant and uncomfortable Sundays ever. He still remembered the phone conversation they had when he was still clueless to the crash, the phone conversation that made his whole world fall apart._

  
**_“Harry, we need to talk.”_ **

  
**_“Sure, what about?” he was busy but he had the time._ **

  
**_“It’s about Violet... and Lewis.”_ **

  
**_“...”_ **

  
**_“Harry?” his brother asked after a moment of silence._ **

  
**_“W-What about them?”_ **

  
**_“I’m... sorry, t-there was a crash and both of them didn’t-” he stuttered in a panic before Harry cut him off._ **

  
**_“Don’t fucking say anything else, Mark, please.”_ **

  
**_“O-Okay.”_ **

  
_They were both shaken by the sudden loss and stayed on the phone until Harry arrived at the hospital in their hometown, where Violet and Lewis had been taken to be examined, it was revealed that they had both died on impact and experienced no pain which was a little relieving as the injuries they did sustain were fatal, at least they didn’t suffer before they let go. Luckily, there was enough money for the funeral and the whole neighbourhood attended, paying their respects to the people who had been living in the town since they were both born._

  
_While Harry had monotonously cried buckets, Mark hadn’t shed a single tear which angered Harry at first, his sister and nephew had just passed away, shouldn’t he be crying? Soon, though, Harry realised that people mourned in different ways, some people show their grief, others are so overwhelmed that can’t express it at all, him and his brother were both different sides of the same coin, both are part of the same thing but are also separate and different._

  
_Harry had been the closest with Violet and Lewis so it hit him harder than it had with Mark, he had always made sure to catch up with them whenever he could and got along more with his nephew. Mark, however, was always busy with work and his soon to be wife, opting to spend more time with her than his family, it was understandable but it meant that he didn’t really have good relationships with his siblings at all. Over the past few years, they became more used to each other but when they were teenagers, there were a lot of arguments, some ending in emotional breakdowns, others ending in violence (which was quickly broken up) and the silent treatment for the next week, Harry hated confrontation but it was never an easy thing to avoid._

  
_He just wished he had a little more time with them, maybe things would’ve been different..._  
_Harry shook his head to get rid of the bad memories, he couldn’t dwell on it right now, he had work to finish and if he left early, he could probably make it to the pub while it was quiet._  
_******************************_  
_It was like a weight off his shoulders when his shift was finally over, another burden of the day finished however this only meant he moved to the next, without anything to concentrate on his mind was free to wander the field of imagination and memories, something he didn’t enjoy at all. All his co-workers packed up for the day and started to walk out of work which was his cue to follow them, they all gave him strange looks as they walked by but he tried best to ignore them, everyone did find him rather strange after all. After he left the office, he just walked to the pub alone for a pint or two, he didn’t have much else to do anyways so he may as well just pass time with a drink. It wasn’t necessarily a thing he did every night but it was better than staying at home where it was a little too quiet for his liking._

  
_When he got inside, the bartender, Jim, caught sight of him and just began making him a drink, Harry had visited the bar so many times that his order had been memorised, he always ordered the same pint of fosters, it never changed at all; sometimes he would spice it up a bit by asking for a packet of crisps or pork scratchings but other than that it remained the same. He set a tenner down on the bar and grabbed his drink as Jim placed it on the mat, he then found a solitary table to sit at and just stared off in the distance, not even concentrating on anything in particular, just sort of shifting his attention around the room, hoping that maybe he’d find something else to think of._

  
_The place wasn’t as busy this evening but it certainly wasn’t empty, all the tables were filled but just with less people than usual. He recognised a few regulars to the bar, he didn’t know them well but they seemed to always be there when he was so their presences were noted, while boring and rather plain, from his many visits, they were the most memorable. Everyone else in the pub he didn’t recognise that well, if he had seen them before he certainly didn’t remember them, he wasn’t surprised though, everyone was basically the same and that’s what got to Harry the most, everyone in this town was generic and anyone different were frowned upon greatly, he regretted moving here the minute he met his neighbours in the apartment block, they were stingy old-fashioned people really, probably conservatives. There wasn’t much to do in the town either and it was a big place, most buildings were either offices or businesses and the shops in the area were rather expensive, Harry had no idea how he managed to even buy an apartment with the amount of money he had at the time, it was a little ridiculous at times._

  
_So, to sum all that up, life here was shit and the one and pretty much only escape he had was going home to see his family, now he didn’t see much of them. His friends had also been round to visit but were visibly uncomfortable in the apartment block so he just told them if they ever wanted to meet up for a drink then he would come to them. Since the funeral, however, he hadn’t bothered to contact any of them at all even after listening to all the voicemail they left, they didn’t come to visit him either so he had been mostly alone in this town, only his brother came to see him and those days were just quiet and awkward, perhaps Mark had hoped they would be able to get through this together but that was near impossible now._

  
_Things had been just so difficult for him, his whole world had been taken from him in the blink of an eye and he hadn’t gotten over it even though it had been weeks, maybe even months since it had happened, Harry didn’t know, he hadn’t been keeping track of time, August slipped into November so quickly that he didn’t even notice. It was so complicated as well, sometimes he didn’t really understand himself and how he felt, he knew that grief was a gripping emotion but he didn’t think it would last this long, it just seemed to live on inside his head, it was there but it was like it didn’t want to be there._

  
_Now, Harry had always been sad, he had actually been diagnosed with anxiety at a young age and it affected him a lot, he had constant mood swings, unhealthy habits of not eating for days at a time, sometimes smoking excessively and picking at his skin until it would peel off, he had quite severe and unexplainable depression when he was in sixth form which he had only just managed to overcome before he left for uni and had intrusive thoughts that sometimes almost came to fruition, luckily he was too scared to do anything. His sister had advised him to take some anti-depressants but his mother had told him they were only a temporary solution and sometimes didn’t help at all so he just avoided them, he didn’t want false hope or anything like that._

  
_Harry just didn’t know what was in store for him in the next few years and he didn’t really want to know, he quickly pushed those thoughts away and took a sip of his beer, while his mind wasn’t fully at ease, at least he felt much calmer. He found that his mood swings were happening more frequently, one moment he could be sad, then angry, then happy, it was not easily noticeable at first, but he soon saw a pattern, he tended to snap more at others without thinking at all, he never meant anything he said to anyone, it just sort of happened. He was never incredibly proud of the way he acted sometimes and earlier in the office was no exception, he had managed to embarrass himself in front of all his co-workers and his boss, there wasn’t much coming back from that._

  
_He finally looked up and observed the other people in the room, they were all talking, laughing, doing something but it wasn’t what you would think it was, nothing felt happy or joyful due to how plain they all were, their voices filled the room with a boring energy that Harry seemed to reject, he needed something more interesting in this sad little life, he needed to bring something more interesting to this black and white world and his only ideas were in the form of his tv show, the one people seemed to hate. Well, he’d show them all that maybe his ideas were worth something, he had been piecing the puzzle together for a while now and he had even made a few songs for the show, he carried the CDs around with him so he could listen to them on the way home in his car and memorise the beat, perhaps if there was a stereo nearby..._

  
_He glanced at his possible audience and pondered over what their reactions would be; their characteristics were far from interesting; they could say anything about him._  
_“And I said that’s not even the same bucket,” one person said to his group of mates, making them laugh._

  
_It was a story Harry had heard come from that man many times before, always the same, it never changed at all, he didn’t understand the charm of it and why it was so funny, it had no real comedic punchline and over time got old. Harry shook his head turned his attention to something else. There was another person sitting with his friends, a cigarette in between his teeth, he pulled it out and blew a plume of smoke (reminding Harry of how much he needed a smoke right now) before speaking to the others._

  
_“I am the cool guy I guess... laid back and sad,” he said._

  
_They all seemed to nod at that, agreeing that being sad did indeed mean that you were cool, but Harry disagreed, he would jump at the chance of being truly happy again, it wasn’t something to be brushed off like it was nothing, it had to be cared for and cherished, he had realised that a little too late. He knew he couldn’t change their minds though so left it at that and looked up to the stage where someone was playing the piano. He played it terribly, the notes were piercing and were randomly jumbled up in a mess of plinking keys, it was an ear sore really and Harry didn’t understand the appeal at all, maybe it was because he grew up with David Bowie and Queen, maybe it was because he had grown up in a different area, he didn’t really know but what he did know is that it was terrible. Maybe he could change that..._

  
_As the hustle and bustle grew louder and louder, Harry quietly slipped off his tie and placed it next to his drink, he took his jacket off, remaining unseen at the back of the room. He was going to do something he knew he was going to regret but... it didn’t hurt to try._  
_******************************_  
_Jim watched as Harry walked away with his drink and turned to put the tenner he had exchanged into the till, it had been the third night this week, Harry seemed to find a second home in this pub, it was good for business, but he couldn’t help but feel concerned about his customer. He would come in, have a drink and maybe some food but he would do all this alone, staring into space with a morose expression on his face, that ghost of a man who was once happy, Jim always noticed and kept an eye on him just in case. It had been a long road for him, a new place in a judgemental city, a new job in a cheating firm and a life without living, Jim knew how tough it was, he had to really adjust to this place before he opened the pub. This city was so limiting, many residents were conservatives, unaccepting of anyone who was different in any sort of way and crude and stuck up when it came to their political and world views, democrats and labourers tended to avoid this area. Jim wasn’t conservative at all and he could tell Harry wasn’t either, he understood that well-paying jobs were in this area, which is probably why he moved here, and he didn’t blame him for it, everyone needed to get by nowadays especially in this town, things are expensive here like rent and food and just normal everyday luxuries cost them tons and some people even left some stores empty pocketed or empty handed. It was sad though, Jim had always been close with his regulars but there was something about Harry that set him apart from everyone else, he knew he had grown up in a more accepting area where all kinds of people lived and from what he had heard, wasn’t happy at all and had suffered in the past. He understood and never pushed the man for answers whenever he was curious, he knew Harry would talk if he ever wanted to and Jim made it perfectly clear to him that he was there to listen, he was the bartender after all, it was part of the job really. He had listened to many stories before, some tragic, some cheerful but when he heard some of Harry’s for the first time, the emotions behind it were indescribable. The man had drunk a little too much and was quite tipsy, not exactly drunk but would still have a hard time remembering everything in the morning, and he had decided to sit at the bar that night, things got quiet in the pub and he then started rambling on and on about his life, going into quite a few details about it, that was when he first started to feel concerned for Harry._

  
_He started talking about his childhood and family, he had siblings who he always got into fights with, their mother always tried her best and her best was amazing from what he said, he never mentioned a father though so even though he knew he shouldn’t, he assumed that a father hadn’t been present in his life but instead multiple boyfriends until his younger brother was born. He had never struggled in school but more of his issues were mental, he didn’t go into details about that. He told Jim he had never been in a serious relationship before and felt lonely because of it, he was confused, Jim could tell, he didn’t know what was confusing him, but Harry never mentioned it, so he decided not to either and left it at that though he was curious about it and sometimes wondered what he meant. Harry went onto his uni life and how it had been one of his best times, he had good friends, did well at his courses and life seemed promising, he even said he had met someone who he thought was the one but once again he didn’t talk about them much, all Jim knew was that their name was Robin and that they were the most amazing person he knew but he had fucked up badly, Jim understood the small amount of details, they all had something to hide. He listened as Harry spoke about his job and how much he hated it and the people he worked with, the work was boring, the company was a little corrupt and it seemed that nobody could have a single second of fun. It seemed like the man didn’t belong here at all and Jim hoped he’d be able to find a job elsewhere in a different area where he would be happier, he thought the man had a chance, that this would be all and he could try to see the light, but Jim hadn’t heard the worst yet and when he did, he almost dropped the glass he had been holding._

  
_He never knew Harry had a nephew, apparently the son of his sister who had been pregnant while Harry was in university, said the father did a runner so they never knew who it was as his sister never talked about it, of course he felt happy for Harry, Jim himself was a father to a beautiful little girl and understood the feeling of pride when a new-born joins the family. Harry smiled when he talked about his nephew, how he was a happy young boy who had so much potential, so much to look forward to and was the one person to keep Harry going. He visited them every weekend and seemed to take inspiration from him, there was mentions of a tv show Harry dreamed of making through slight drunken mumbling, he said he had written songs, had ideas for characters and knew it was going to be a kids tv show which was awfully specific._

  
_“ **It reminds me of how I used to teach him things when he was a toddler, he used to find it fun for some reason, Vi said it was because I was a good teacher,” he had said.**_

  
_His voice was filled with passion as he spoke, his usual flat tone shifted slightly so he sounded proud of his ideas, he spoke with love for his dreams and that really brought Jim’s hopes up, but they were quickly shot down as Harry went quiet and his expression changed into one of sadness and grief and those unexpected words left his mouth to hang in the air._

  
_“They didn’t last long though... there was a crash,” Harry murmured, “they both didn’t make it.”_

  
_The mood changed completely, and the conversation slowed to a halt, he didn’t speak a single word after that, and Jim didn’t try to ask about it at all, then he left and went home, never to speak about it since. They haven’t really spoken to each other since then and Jim was worried, Harry seemed to keep to himself and looked like he hadn’t slept in a week. He thought he should talk to him about it and try to convince him to find help, but he didn’t get the chance to, maybe if he managed to catch him later, he could talk to him then. He was incredibly busy though, tonight the whole place was filled with groups of people, it was so busy that he got Ronnie to play the piano to entertain the people, he was terrible, but no one seemed to mind it. Things seemed to be going well, more people were rolling in and business today was booming but suddenly a loud ringing of a microphone turning on and the loud monotone talking quietened down into whispers. Jim looked up and saw Harry on the stage, staring at his audience with apprehension, without his usual clothes on (not having clothing on didn’t mean nudity but it was heavily frowned upon in the city as it was apparently ‘obscene’ to the tory twats). In one hand was a mic which was connected to an old stereo they kept backstage, and he had two small hand puppets in the other, they looked handmade, quickly and crudely stitched up, he figured Harry made them himself in a rush. The first of the puppets was yellow and looked a little lumpy, there weren’t many distinct features on it other than a large smile and bright eyes and a small tuft of what looked like blue wool on its head, it wasn’t exactly ugly, but it didn’t look amazing either, the second puppet was better quality, and you could tell what it was meant to be; a duck. It was green and brown, had a small yellow beak and black beady eyes and stared out at the crowds as if it were watching, it was less lumpy and looked as if more time had been put into it._

  
_Harry nervously knelt to turn on the stereo and stood up again, awkwardly scratching the back of his head as the music started to play, coughing a little. The music was sloppily put together but held a beat and rhythm to it, it was something you could slowly nod your head to if you ever heard it, but it wasn’t a song you’d chose to listen to, it sounded like a like it was from a kid's film or something. Harry danced along with the song to encourage the audience a little but got no response from them so just started singing._

  
_“What’s your favourite idea? Mine is being creative.”_

  
_Jim instantly recognised the song as he had at times heard Harry mumbling the lyrics to himself, he had often thought about what it was before and remembered how he wanted to make the tv show...was this what he had so far? It wasn’t bad at all, for a beginner it was great, it was clear he had insufficient funds though, so far music and hand puppets were the best he had but he was trying. However, the people weren’t appreciating it and winced as he sang, showing their distaste for his song._

  
_“Now when you look at this orange, tell me please what do you see?” he continued, holding up what looked like a felt orange._

  
_He looked back at the audience who looked unimpressed by him interrupting Ronnie just for this, his face contorted into one of discomfort but he pushed on and tried to get through the performance so he could probably leave, Jim still needed to talk to him though, so he’d try to do so before he did._

  
_“It’s just a boring old orange,” he showed everyone the duck puppet, indicating that this character was meant to be singing, before lowering his hand, “maybe to you but not to me.”_

  
_That’s when the booing started, horrible comments being shouted up at him by everyone in the audience, people throwing things like beer mats at him to get him off the stage._

  
_“Boo!”_

  
_“Get off the stage!”_

  
_“It’s not very good at all!”_

  
_Jim felt genuine hatred towards them all but there wasn’t much he could do; he was just the bartender and wasn’t amazingly good at handling confrontation, Mari (the woman who he owned the pub with) was better on the front. Harry manages to keep up his brave face and tries his best to finish the song._

  
_“Walking along and smiling at me, I don’t see what you mean,” he showed the yellow puppet with less enthusiasm than he did with the duck, looking disheartened by the review, “cause you’re not thinking creatively...”_

  
_The crowd got so loud that he couldn’t sing over them anymore, they clearly weren’t listening to him and he had lost all motivation to continue. Jim felt so bad for him and wanted to help but couldn’t. He set the glass he was holding down, ready to step in and put a stop to the hateful speech but he saw Harry pause and stare at the back of the room, seeming to stop listening to them all. He still went over to the stage to get everyone to simmer down and get Harry off the stage, but he seemed distant as he was escorted away, like he had something else on his mind. Jim had no idea what he saw but didn’t question it at all, he thought it was just something that spooked him, Harry was just quiet and didn’t respond to him at all, he hoped that he was alright and did offer to get his belongings and let him out back, so he didn’t have to go back inside but once again he didn’t receive an answer. He just got up and got them himself before walking towards a booth in the corner of the room, he didn’t see him again after that._  
_******************************_  
_Harry felt absolutely helpless, they were all shouting at him, telling him to get off the stage, throwing stuff at him, he had expected something like this but not this bad, he looked around frantically, trying to find a face shining sympathy but there were none other than Jim and... someone else, someone he didn’t recognise. This person, a man from what he could see, was sitting at a booth in the back of the pub, a glass of wine in hand, the other resting on the beer covered table. He stared at him with a blank expression, but it felt like it held a million emotions, his eyes filled to the brim with them, emanating an uncomfortable but calming aura that seemed to draw Harry to him, the low lighting made him look menacing, but he didn’t feel threatening at all, he didn’t know what it was but something about this man that made him feel like he could trust him... He didn’t know at all. They both locked eyes for a few seconds and Harry felt like he saw the world, he saw too much, and it made him feel like the entire world he thought he knew had cheated him, it was inviting to him and he wanted the world that could get him the thing he wanted, this man knew what he had and was looked willing to give a small bit of that. He seemed to beckon him with a small flick of his hand and Harry felt intrigued to learn more about this person, he didn’t exactly trust him yet, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t._

  
_Jim quickly ran onto stage and shouted at the audience to calm them down, this worked to some extent, but some stubborn cunts wouldn’t stand down and kept on going, screaming that he was rubbish, their entertainment was terrible, his music didn’t matter. The bartender started escorting Harry off the stage, pulling his eyes away from the mysterious man. They were almost off stage when he suddenly tripped and fell into the black void between consciousness and the world of dreams and nightmares, floating and flying through before falling onto the checkered floor of reality, confused and dazed. He was no longer dreaming about an old memory but now he was awake in a living nightmare._  
******************************  
It was dark, that’s all he could say about this room, it was pitch black all around him, the deep dark shadow of the looming room reaching at him as he sat in a large spotlight shining from somewhere above him. Where the hell was he? What the hell happened? He struggled through his scrambled memories, pulling out the pieces and fitting them together until he got a hazy idea of the events before his slumber. From what he could remember, the teachers (sketch and tony he believed) led him away from the house before knocking him out in the garden and dragging him away before he fully lost consciousness, he could feel a dull ache spread through the back of his head, he deduced that he had most probably been hit there and then proceeded to gently run that area, hoping that would ease it a little, it didn’t and intensified just a little, making his ears ring in response. Harry slowly got up and began to wander through the darkness, praying he would find his way back to Robin, Manny and Lily before anything drastic happened, he stumbled around, trying to look for a sign of something that could lead to his escape and soon saw another light in the distance. He tried running but fell over and made his head hurt even more than before.

  
“Fuck...” he muttered before shakily standing up once more and limping towards the light.

  
As he approached, he caught sight of something, it was large and blocky and seemed to take up most of the fluorescent light, loud noises and music seemed to be coming from it, but he couldn’t be sure, it might just be nothing. He got closer and saw that it was a large machine, covered in buttons and switches, Harry had never seen this thing before so out of curiosity walked even closer, his eyes widened at what he saw, there was a tv right at the top playing a live episode of the show, the footage showed a rather intoxicated lamp singing to Manny and Lily who were both cowering in bed. Lily was crying, clutching onto Manny for dear life, terrified of losing him, Manny however was standing his ground and trying his best to be brave, he held onto Lily and glared at the teacher even though he was trembling with fear. Harry looked around for Robin but saw that the bird was nowhere to be seen in this scene, making him panic, if they got to him then there may be no chance for the children. He saw how rugged and drunk the lamp was though and didn’t fear of too much, the guy was probably off his head as well and may be out for the count soon however, he also took note of all the blood on his arms and face, whose was it? He didn’t have much time to think though, the music went on and the longer it went on the more danger his friends were in.

  
“You could have a dream about losing your friends!” the lamp sang, “You could have a dream about burning your friend-”

  
Harry pushed one of the many buttons to see what would happen and watched as the lamp suddenly disappeared and turned into Tony. Tony looked around a little confused as the music to his song started playing, he sang along but probably had no idea how he got there or why he was there. Manny yelped a little when he saw Tony but looked relieved to see that Sketch wasn’t there as well, though that still didn’t stop him from feeling fear, he frowned and spoke up to the clock.

  
“You made me die!”

  
He quickly pushed another button and Tony also changed and switched into Colin who also looked like he had no idea what was happening. He too sang his song, but it sounded hesitant.

  
“I-I’m a computer... I’m a computery guy.”

  
The children both screamed when they saw they had been switched into their digital forms, they stared helplessly as these events unfolded, unable to do anything about it. Harry reached over and pushed another, hoping that would put a stop to this, there had to be an off button somewhere. Colin changed into... a lamb chop? He hadn’t seen this teacher before, but Manny certainly recognised him as he suddenly covered him mouth and eyes with his hands. A small green can also joined them on the bed but went unnoticed. 

  
“Ice cream beef? Ice cream beef makes your teeth go grey!” it sang.

  
“Doesn’t matter, just throw it away! Why not some-”

  
Harry hit another button and Robin appeared in his bed, tied up in many ropes, blood on his clothes, a dirty rag wrapped around his beak, his eyes red and bloodshot, he looked terrible and searched the room with his eyes frantically, trying to shout but failing to do so. He sees Manny and Lily and kept squeaking as if he were speaking to them, but they didn’t understand what he was saying. Harry started to back away from the machine, this was okay, there were no teachers for now, he’d better not mess with anything else. He felt a little relieved... until he noticed a button somehow push itself and Robin was snapped out of existence and replaced with what looked like the solar system with legs, Harry rushed back forward to try and get his friend back, pushing multiple buttons in a blind panic, switching between different teachers such as a magnet, a spade and even a file singing the same song he made up on the spot at work. 

  
“Come on!” he shouted to himself, flipping a few switches in the hopes that it would do something helpful.

  
Nothing would work though and he was sending the two children in a panic as more and more teachers appeared to terrorise them, Harry didn’t know what to do and he felt so terrible for that, he wanted to help them so bad but he was failing. He sighed and continued trying, pushing towards that goal of freedom even though it was so clearly out of reach from him, he tried and failed but it didn’t matter anymore, he’d still be trying to save them on his own death bed when he would be weak and frail, too lost for this world. 

  
During these moments of absolute terror, he hadn’t noticed the long snake-like arm slithering behind him, looking ready to grab him, he was too busy to see the person emerging from the shadows to greet him. However, when the hand of this person finally reached him, they didn’t grab him, they just gently patted his shoulder, making him turn to see who else was there with him. He slowly looked behind him, facing away from the machine, and saw the one person he dreaded to see.

  
“Harry...” they said.

  
“Roy...” he replied.

  
He backed away from his touch just a little, aware of his presence and what he could possibly do. The man was powerful in his own ways, ways Harry couldn’t even describe and it made him feel scared. Roy approached him calmly, still motioning for him to come forward too but Harry stayed put, he breathed heavily as he went though, years of smoking finally catching up on him, he looked as bedraggled as the day Harry first met him and looked even worse. Roy had the hint of smile on his face, it wasn’t filled with bad intentions though, it looked more reminiscent and had a sense of finality to it, as if he were seeing something or someone for the last time. 

  
“So, Sketch and Tony got you here just fine... wonderful,” Roy said, coming to a stop in the middle of the spotlight.

  
“What do you want?” he responded, not wanting any bullshit from him.

  
Roy chuckled and put his hands up in mock surrender.

  
“Can’t a man chat with an old friend before he leaves?” 

  
“We aren’t friends anymore and you know that,” Harry said, coldly.

  
“I do but a guy can dream, right?” he asked.  
Harry glared at him, sick of the jokes and games he kept trying to play, Roy was a pathetic excuse for a human being and he didn’t want to deal with him anymore.

  
“Anyways, you probably want me to cut to the chase, don’t you?”

  
He remained quiet and let him continue, he wanted to hear what he had to say. Harry knew he probably shouldn’t but he just wanted an explanation.

  
“Look at this, look at what we’ve done, Harry,” he said.

  
“No, look at what you've done, I didn’t make... this,” the red man said in anger.

  
“Your ideas did,” Roy replied, “without you, none of this would exist.”

  
“I didn’t want this though; this was not my intention at all.”

  
“That is true, you wanted to make something that can teach, I wanted to push my son into a living nightmare,” he said, “we have such different intentions but are we that much different at all?”

  
“What do you mean?” Harry frowned.

  
“If you think about it, we are rather similar. We’ve lost those close to us, both broken by the loss, resorting to nights at the pub alone to get through it all. We feel sad but also anger at others so we hide ourselves away,” he said, “now do you understand?”

  
“That’s where the similarities end.”

  
“You’re right, I know you are, after that we are very different but... sometimes the differences can be over looked, Harry,” Roy said, shrugging his shoulders.

  
This just angered Harry a lot, their differences mattered way more than their similarities, Roy was a sadist who only wanted to see them suffer, Harry just wanted to fulfil him dream for Lewis. Their similarities were basic as well, they had lost family members that were important to them and dealt with it in the same manner but Harry had never thought of it as much, it obviously meant a lot more to Roy than it did to him which confused him quite a bit, he didn’t get why he was so hung up on the fact they shared a similar tragic backstory.

  
“Now, I’m not saying you’re bad like me, I’m completely fucking evil,” he said, “but no one is completely good, not Manny and the girl, not you or Robin, not any of the teachers.”

  
“The teachers are the embodiment of hell; how can they be good?” Harry hissed.

  
“Well, believe it or not, every teacher has a story, they’re fools taking their anger and frustrations out on you all,” he answered, “it was pretty easy to manipulate them into joining, especially Larry, I caught him in a vulnerable moment.”

  
He didn’t have the slightest clue who Larry was and he didn’t care either, he watched Roy with anger as tears began to bunch in his eyes, a tidal wave of emotions he couldn’t quite put his finger washing over him, what the hell was Roy trying to do?

  
“So, I feel like my job here is done.”

  
“What?” he questioned him.

  
Roy smiled at him and crossed his arms, looking sorrowful but also happy about something, and life seemed to spark in those dead eyes.

  
“My boy has grown up; he’s no longer crying in the eyes of fear. Sure, he may be terrified but aren’t we all?” he replied, “I no longer need to be a part of his life.”

  
“What are you saying?”

  
“I’m saying, take them all and escape, follow the cable and pull the plug, when you wake up you should be back to where you were before,” Roy said, “I’ve paid a full month's rent for your apartment, it should give you time to get back on your feet.”

  
“You’re letting us go this easily?” Harry was really confused now.

  
“Of course, live a happy life with them all,” he said, looking over to his right, “it’s all over now, I’ve done my shitty part.”

  
Harry followed to where he was looking, there was a large white cable peeking out of the dark, lighting its own path to the other end of the room. He remembered Roy’s words and started to walk towards it, feeling a little light-headed with each step he took.

  
“Oh, and Harry?” 

  
Harry turned back once more to Roy and saw that he too was crying, tears rolled down his face slowly, glistening in the spot light, it was the first time he had ever seen him cry and it felt like the whole world was drowning because of it.

  
“Just know that you’ll never be hearing from or about me ever again, forget that I ever existed.”

  
He nodded in return before continuing his journey to the other side of the room, the noises of laughing and crying from the machine sneaking up on him once more. He made it to a large socket and plug which were both framed in another spotlight, he didn’t even know how he never saw it before but he wasn’t concerned about that. Feeling a sense of urgency, he placed his hands on both sides of the plug and took a deep breath, sneaking one final look at the camera.

  
“I wonder what will happen,” he said before pulling it out of the socket.

  
His surroundings seemed to flash white before everything finally went dark once more.  
******************************  
The whole place was so quiet, the only noise to be heard was the gentle ticking of a nearby clock, the peace was almost eerie but Harry knew they were finally safe, there were no more teachers to hurt them. He didn’t want to open his eyes though, he wanted to be sure that everything was okay first and that this hadn’t been a trick or another dream, he felt around with his hands and soon figured he was sitting at a table, he could feel the cold plastic tablecloth underneath his fingers. Was he back at home now?

  
He slowly opened his eyes to see that his assumptions were correct, he was indeed in his apartment in the city and his friends were sitting with him at the table, their eyes closed too. He sighed with relief when he saw them all, they were all with him. Manny and Lily were both in pyjamas and Robin still had that rag tied around his mouth, proof that all of it had been real, their suffering had been true. Harry still couldn’t believe they were free, it was like the burden on his mind was finally being whisked away and he felt glad, they were at peace for the first time in forever. He jumped a little when he heard a small squeak come from across the table, Robin had opened his eyes to see this new setting and it had taken him by surprise, he certainly hadn’t been expecting to see a small apartment. The duck’s eyes met Harry’s and they both gazed at each other for a few moments before one of them finally spoke. 

  
“Harry... Where are we?” Robin asked. 

  
“We’re in my apartment from before the show,” he answered. 

  
The two children had heard them speak and decided to open their eyes too, also being a little surprised by their new surroundings. 

  
“W-What happened?” Manny stuttered. 

  
“We escaped, kid, that’s what happened,” Harry smiled as he said it, “no more teachers.”

  
The boy covered him mouth with his hands as tears filled his eyes, glee shining from his face. 

  
“We’re free...” Lily mumbled, her expression starting to match Manny’s as the realisation dawned on her. 

  
“Look at the calendar if you don’t believe me,” the red man pointed at one that was hung up on the wall. 

  
It was a basic calendar just like the one they had at the house; it was the one thing that resembled an object from that hell hole but it was different. While the one in the house had been stuck on the date June 19th, this one was more accurate and showed the date August 3rd, that set their escape in stone, they were no longer frozen in the past but were now in the present. Robin too had started crying along with Manny and Lily and Harry too felt tears in his eyes. He reached out to the two children and pulled them into a massive hug, beckoning for the bird to join them. 

  
“This is it, we can finally live a normal life,” he said as they held onto each other, “Father’s Day is finally over.”

  
  
_**The end**_

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for sticking around and reading all of my stories, I have had so much fun writing these and I've appreciated all the positive comments I've received thus far.
> 
> Now is this the end? No, it isn't and I'll explain why. I've had this idea for a few months now but I wanted to wait until after this series was finished before I announced it but I am planninrg to release 3 more series after this one, I'll list them below:
> 
> Every teacher has a story
> 
> The aftermath of June 19th 
> 
> ??? (untitled thus far)
> 
> I can't wait to get started and hopefully they'll be out soon, I may take a small break but it depends on how I'm feeling. I hope to see you all there so stay tuned.


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